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Tire Recommendations for Buddy 125

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 1:20 am
by Beamster
What do you like for tires?
Ours aren't worn but certainly aged being 14 years old.

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:20 am
by DeeDee
I like Kenda: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/KNT- ... gzEALw_wcB Great tire for this price.

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 4:16 am
by scootERIK
My current favorite is the Pirelli Angel 3.50-10 good handling dry and wet, fairly long life for a 10" tire, and the price isn't too bad.


DeeDee wrote:I like Kenda: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/KNT- ... gzEALw_wcB Great tire for this price.
You should give the Kenda K329 a try. I have gone through a bunch of them and have always been pleased. In my experience they last longer than the K413 and have just as much traction.

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:53 pm
by Beamster
DeeDee wrote:I like Kenda: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/KNT- ... gzEALw_wcB Great tire for this price.
Is a tubless tire ok with a tube in it?

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 7:29 pm
by Dooglas
I have had good success with the Continental Zippy 1 on the Buddy 125.

Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2020 9:18 pm
by DeeDee
Why do you want to use a tube? Buddy rims are tubeless.

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2020 11:32 pm
by 350kmi
scootERIK wrote:My current favorite is the Pirelli Angel 3.50-10 good handling dry and wet, fairly long life for a 10" tire, and the price isn't too bad.
I have also been very happy with the Pirelli Angel Scooter in 3.50-10. Very good in the wet and so far tread wear is looking for good. Also, it's one of the most modern tires available in the Buddy's size. I believe it was introduced in late 2018, most 10" tire designs seem to date back 5-10 years.

The Continental Zippy 1 is also a favorite of mine.

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 3:33 am
by buzzvert
Man, tires are a loaded question. Some are GREAT for light riders, some are perfect for chubbos like me clocking in a 200 and a lot of change...

I've had a lot of tires on a lot of Buddys- the stock tires are fine but I feel like there's not enough wet surface grip- an issue when you get caught in the rain or you happen across the water in the road. That translates to lack of security when encountering gravel patches as well.

Pirellis do not age well. I feel like they have a softer compound that gives better dry traction, but you get 3000 miles out of them max before they visibly look ragged. Sidewall strength is EXCELLENT however.

So I run Michelin City on all my scoots that I ride personally. They're a great compromise tire that has a decent tread pattern, can wick/channel water and have good sidewall strength (not as good as Pirelli but better than the stock tires). That, and they're pretty readily available. They also wear extremely well and I have not seen rot evidence or cracking. So far. Ride is also excellent.

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:20 am
by Rdrett
I am trying to choose between Michelin s1 and Heidenau k61 130/70-10 for the rear and 110/80-10 for the rear. Hopefully they fit.

Trying to figure out which ones. I like Michelin, I have them on all my cars and bicycles, the j speed rating on the Michelin is rated for 62 mph. The Heidenau have a speed rating of 81mph.

My scooter only has 300 miles on it and it seems that my top speed has increased As my scooter gets broken in, I was able to get it up to over 60mph the other day and I am worried about riding The Michelin tires that close to their rated speed. I am leaning towards the Heidenau.

Either way I will be getting bigger tires than stock.

Re: Tire Recommendations for Buddy 125

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:13 pm
by Rdrett
Beamster wrote:What do you like for tires?
Ours aren't worn but certainly aged being 14 years old.
Do you want the tires that I am taking off my new buddy 125? They have less than 300 miles on them.

I am putting oversized Heidenau k61 tires on my buddy 125.

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:13 pm
by PNWbuddy
Rdrett wrote:I am trying to choose between Michelin s1 and Heidenau k61 130/70-10 for the rear and 110/80-10 for the rear. Hopefully they fit.

Trying to figure out which ones. I like Michelin, I have them on all my cars and bicycles, the j speed rating on the Michelin is rated for 62 mph. The Heidenau have a speed rating of 81mph.

My scooter only has 300 miles on it and it seems that my top speed has increased As my scooter gets broken in, I was able to get it up to over 60mph the other day and I am worried about riding The Michelin tires that close to their rated speed. I am leaning towards the Heidenau.

Either way I will be getting bigger tires than stock.
Assuming you used a GPS for your top speed reading, if by speedometer then your real speed was more like 53-54mph and well with in the J
(62mph) tire recommendation.

I used Shinko SR425, which look like Michelin S1 copies, 110/80 front and 130/70 rear. The rear is speed rated L (75mph) so the S1 might be the same for that size.

The 110/80 mounted easily but I couldn't get the 130/70 to seat on the bead and eventually took it to a tire shop that did it for me without charge. If I ever wear out the rear I'll just go to the 110/80 there also.

Curious why you want to use the large rear tire? I never rode my scooter with the stock size tires so I can't compare them but the larger size seem to handle fine to me.

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:51 pm
by Rdrett
PNWbuddy wrote:
Rdrett wrote:I am trying to choose between Michelin s1 and Heidenau k61 130/70-10 for the rear and 110/80-10 for the rear. Hopefully they fit.

Trying to figure out which ones. I like Michelin, I have them on all my cars and bicycles, the j speed rating on the Michelin is rated for 62 mph. The Heidenau have a speed rating of 81mph.

My scooter only has 300 miles on it and it seems that my top speed has increased As my scooter gets broken in, I was able to get it up to over 60mph the other day and I am worried about riding The Michelin tires that close to their rated speed. I am leaning towards the Heidenau.

Either way I will be getting bigger tires than stock.
Assuming you used a GPS for your top speed reading, if by speedometer then your real speed was more like 53-54mph and well with in the J
(62mph) tire recommendation.

I used Shinko SR425, which look like Michelin S1 copies, 110/80 front and 130/70 rear. The rear is speed rated L (75mph) so the S1 might be the same for that size.

The 110/80 mounted easily but I couldn't get the 130/70 to seat on the bead and eventually took it to a tire shop that did it for me without charge. If I ever wear out the rear I'll just go to the 110/80 there also.

Curious why you want to use the large rear tire? I never rode my scooter with the stock size tires so I can't compare them but the larger size seem to handle fine to me.
I went with the 130/70 for the rear because that was the largest tire that would fit without modifying anything.
From what I researched the 130/70 on the small buddy rim will make the tire taller and not as wide than if you had it on a wider rim.
I was wanting to go as wide as possible for stability and cornering.
I don’t ride in the rain so I wasn’t worried about reducing traction on wet roads.

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:34 pm
by Dooglas
buzzvert wrote:So I run Michelin City on all my scoots that I ride personally. They're a great compromise tire that has a decent tread pattern, can wick/channel water and have good sidewall strength (not as good as Pirelli but better than the stock tires). That, and they're pretty readily available. They also wear extremely well and I have not seen rot evidence or cracking. So far. Ride is also excellent.
So, what size Michelin City Grip do you run front and rear on your Buddy 125?

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2020 1:10 am
by JettaKnight
Rdrett wrote:I am trying to choose between Michelin s1 and Heidenau k61 130/70-10 for the rear and 110/80-10 for the rear. Hopefully they fit.

Trying to figure out which ones. I like Michelin, I have them on all my cars and bicycles, the j speed rating on the Michelin is rated for 62 mph. The Heidenau have a speed rating of 81mph.

My scooter only has 300 miles on it and it seems that my top speed has increased As my scooter gets broken in, I was able to get it up to over 60mph the other day and I am worried about riding The Michelin tires that close to their rated speed. I am leaning towards the Heidenau.

Either way I will be getting bigger tires than stock.
Was that over 60 mph or 60 bmph?

If my speedometer says 70, I'm not really sweating the tires (S1's), the fact that I'm doing 62 mph (actual) on 10" wheels is more of a concern.


That top speed is a conservative number based on operating at the edges of it's performance and temperature window.

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:41 am
by Rdrett
JettaKnight wrote:
Rdrett wrote:I am trying to choose between Michelin s1 and Heidenau k61 130/70-10 for the rear and 110/80-10 for the rear. Hopefully they fit.

Trying to figure out which ones. I like Michelin, I have them on all my cars and bicycles, the j speed rating on the Michelin is rated for 62 mph. The Heidenau have a speed rating of 81mph.

My scooter only has 300 miles on it and it seems that my top speed has increased As my scooter gets broken in, I was able to get it up to over 60mph the other day and I am worried about riding The Michelin tires that close to their rated speed. I am leaning towards the Heidenau.

Either way I will be getting bigger tires than stock.
Was that over 60 mph or 60 bmph?

If my speedometer says 70, I'm not really sweating the tires (S1's), the fact that I'm doing 62 mph (actual) on 10" wheels is more of a concern.


That top speed is a conservative number based on operating at the edges of it's performance and temperature window.
60 verified on gps. Yes pretty scary at that speed.

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2020 8:23 pm
by Beamster
DeeDee wrote:Why do you want to use a tube? Buddy rims are tubeless.
I assumed they were tube type thinking tubeless was for more expensive rides.

Re: Tire Recommendations for Buddy 125

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2020 8:27 pm
by Beamster
Rdrett wrote:
Beamster wrote:What do you like for tires?
Ours aren't worn but certainly aged being 14 years old.
Do you want the tires that I am taking off my new buddy 125? They have less than 300 miles on them.
What are they and what size?
Scooter tires are not all that expensive so it might be hard to justify take offs once private shipping is factored in.

Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:30 am
by babblefish
Michelin S1 tires are OK, but they are only rated for 60 mph and their tread area is very soft and thin. My last rear tire was an S1 which got punctured by a screw when it had about 600-800 miles on it. I tried using a plug to repair it but the tread was too thin to support the plug correctly so it kept leaking. Replaced it with a Heidenau k61 tire and really like it. Not too expensive, good grip, fairly long life, higher speed range than the Michelin S1, and tread area is nice and thick. The front tire is still an S1 but with almost no tread left. Got another Heidenau on the way.

Re: Tire Recommendations for Buddy 125

Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2020 8:47 pm
by Rdrett
Beamster wrote:
Rdrett wrote:
Beamster wrote:What do you like for tires?
Ours aren't worn but certainly aged being 14 years old.
Do you want the tires that I am taking off my new buddy 125? They have less than 300 miles on them.
What are they and what size?
Scooter tires are not all that expensive so it might be hard to justify take offs once private shipping is factored in.
3.50-10 cheng shin tire c922.

They are the factory tires with less than 300 miles on them.

Free is a hard price to beat. Shipping is going to have to be paid if you buy them new and just because it says free shipping doesn’t mean that it is free.

I live in Lexington Kentucky depends on where you live but shipping should not be much.